Pasta alla Norma is a classic Italian pasta dish made with fried cubes of eggplant and a simple tomato sauce. It’s a dish that my Nonna often made for us using fresh eggplant she harvested from her backyard garden. Using only a handful of ingredients, this dish celebrates the beauty and simplicity of Italian cooking…where quality always trumps quantity.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Pasta Alla Norma
Few ingredients, big flavor – you only need a handful of ingredients to make this dish.
Simple to make – the recipe uses only one pan + and a pot to cook the pasta.
🍲 Ingredients
Italian eggplant – medium-sized, deep purple eggplant is what you’re looking for. I choose not to peel because I like the texture of the fried skin.
Garlic – leave it whole, just give it a smash. Gives all the flavor without extra work.
Pomodoro passata – one of my go-to tomato products for a delicious, quick sauce. It’s pureed whole tomatoes.
Fresh basil – optional but when you have it, it always adds a little something.
Sugar – controversial to some, but sometimes the sauce needs a little bit of it to balance out the acidity.
Salt & Pepper – as always, to taste
Pasta of choice – I love mezzi rigatoni here, but choose your player
Olive oil – the oil does impart some flavor in the eggplant and of course the sauce, so I always opt for olive oil
Ricotta Salata – it’s a hard ricotta cheese that has a slightly salty yet creamy texture that I adore.
👩🍳 How to Make Pasta Alla Norma
- Prep the eggplant:
- Add the cubed eggplant into a colander over another bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Place a plate and then a weight on top of the eggplant and let it sit for 15-60 minutes. This removes the bitter flavor of the eggplant. Strain the liquid.
- Add about 1/2 cup of oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the eggplant in batches until golden brown. Remove onto a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Make the sauce:
- Add whole smashed garlic cloves to the remaining oil where you fried the eggplant. Once slightly golden, add in the pomodoro passata and fresh basil. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and optionally add sugar to taste.
- Cook the pasta and toss:
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water 2 minutes under al dente. Transfer the pasta directly to the tomato sauce. Toss well to coat and finish cooking 1-2 minutes. Add in half of the fried eggplant.
- Plate:
- Garnish each dish of pasta with fried eggplant and a fresh grating of ricotta salata.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Salt and drain the eggplant! This will remove the bitter flavor sometimes found in eggplant.
- Use the same pan to fry the eggplant and build the tomato sauce. Not only does this use fewer pans, but it also builds flavor!
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
🤔 Common Questions
Salting and pressing the cubed eggplant draws out excess water and bitterness. This helps the eggplant fry up golden and not soggy.
It’s the classic cheese found on this dish, but there are options. Ricotta salata is firm, salted, and easy to grate. If you can’t find it, pecorino is the closest substitute.
Pasta Alla Norma
Ingredients
- 1-2 medium sized italian eggplant, cubed into 1inch piece
- 2 cloves garlic
- 24 oz pomodoro passata
- Fresh basil
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt & Pepper
- 1/2 lb Pasta of choice, I love mezzi rigatoni
- Olive oil
- Ricotta Salata
Instructions
Prep the eggplant:
- Add the cubed eggplant into a colander over another bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Place a plate and then a weight on top of the eggplant and let it sit for 15-60 minutes. This removes the bitter flavor of the eggplant. Strain the liquid.
- Add about 1/2 cup of oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the eggplant in batches until golden brown. Remove onto a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Make the sauce:
- Add whole smashed garlic cloves to the remaining oil where you fried the eggplant. Once slightly golden, add in the pomodoro passata and fresh basil. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and optionally add sugar to taste.
Cook the pasta and toss:
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water for 2 minutes until al dente. Transfer the pasta directly to the tomato sauce. Toss well to coat and finish cooking 1-2 minutes. Add half of the fried eggplant.
Plate:
- Garnish each dish of pasta with fried eggplant and a fresh grating of ricotta salata.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Family loved this!